Summer Fun and Back to School

A little catch up post here.  Bruno bought me fabulous tickets to see Wicked this summer.  We both absolutely loved it and it's by far one of my most favorite musicals.  Great story, wonderful acting and fabulous songs!  I knew as soon as I saw it that Grace would love it.  So I shopped around and found some relatively reasonable tickets.  We went with my friend Nicole and Grace thought it was so good!  Oh wait, actually she told me she didn't like... she LOVED it! 

Here is a picture of Grace and me on the roof of the Kennedy Center.

Grace posing next to Glinda's costume.

I also had to share these pictures of the absolutely adorable dresses my sister-in-law made for the girls.  I think Grace wore hers several times a week throughout the summer and Abby wore hers tons too.  You can't see all the detail work in these pictures but it is incredible.  I have NO idea how she finds the time in her day to sew but she does and she does amazing work.

And now that the summer fun is over, it's back to school time!  Grace started second grade and is very happy with it so far!

Grace not looking very thrilled so I told her to be excited (see below)!

Now Grace is excited!

And then it was sweet Abby's turn to start preschool.  I already wrote about saying good-bye to Ana and Rosa but it's just hard to believe Abby is ready for preschool.  She did great the first few days and then a few tears this week but all in all she seems very happy with her school!

I told her to put the sign down a little and smile big! See below.

Then I said "be really excited" - see below.

So excited!  Even with a wrinkled shirt - ha!



Hard to believe it has been 10 years

This weekend will mark the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks.  Bruno and I were talking about it the other night and saying that in many ways it seems like yesterday because our memories of that day are so crystal clear (see my blog post from 2009).   But in other ways, it does seem like it has been ten years.  So much has happened - most importantly, the birth of our two beautiful girls.  Ten years ago, we could sit in front of the television for hours on end watching the coverage.  Now I find myself turning the tv off as soon as they start any coverage of it because I don't want the girls to see.

A couple of days ago, we were talking about how we should talk with Grace about this.  Living in Washington, DC, we knew that there would be a great deal of tv coverage, flags flying everywhere, people reflecting and praying about that day.  I looked on-line and found some interesting information and some good posts. But none of it seemed just right.  I wanted to tell her the basics without scaring her or having her worry every time we fly on a plane.  But what are the "basics" of the most tragic day in our most recent history and a day that so many of us lived through?  I somehow came up with the following.

Yesterday, Grace came home from school and said, "Did you know that 9-11 is an important day?" I asked what she learned about it. She said one of the teachers told their class that she had been working at the school then and could see the smoke from the Pentagon. I asked her "what else did she tell you" Grace said "oh nothing else really..." She asked me if I could see the smoke.  I told her I could not but that her dad did when he left work early that day and drove by the Pentagon.

So we talked about it some more. I basically told her that there were some very bad people who wanted to hurt Americans. And that they damaged the Pentagon and two very big buildings in NYC and a lot of people died. (I didn't get into the planes...) She asked, "Why would people from America want to hurt other Americans?" I explained that they were not from America and that they didn't like that people in America had so many freedoms.  They thought that there should be many more rules. She asked if they were in jail for what they did. So I told her that they had died trying to hurt Americans. She said how strange that was that someone would die trying to hurt someone else.

I told her that we are all much safer now and that she doesn't need to worry about anyone hurting us. I told her that she may hear a lot of different stories about what happened that day but that she should ask me or Bruno if she ever wants more information or has any questions.

Then she asked me, "If you were born on Feb. 29, do you only celebrate your birthday every 4 years?" She is a master at changing uncomfortable discussions : )

September 11 is a hard day for all Americans, but especially those who lost loved ones.  And for those who were living in NYC or Washington, DC.  We drive by the Pentagon all the time and we see the memorial that is now in place.  I clearly remember driving by and seeing a gaping hole in that building for months.  And so we pray for those who lost loved ones and for those whose familes are currently serving our country.  We will never forget.

Saying Good-bye to Ana and Rosa

About eight years ago, when I was pregnant with Grace, we knew we needed to find the perfect daycare.  It was overwhelming to think we could find a place to leave our precious yet-to-be born baby.

I toured lots of daycare centers.  I liked how they provided you daily, written reports on how the baby slept, how much they ate, how they played, etc.  I liked that you had to put booties on over your shoes so that you wouldn't track in any dirt.  I liked that they had security cameras at the door and you had to be buzzed in.  She'll be safe and in a clean environment, I thought.  I put her name on so many lists and left $50 deposits with multiple centers.  And I waited.  And waited.  As it got closer to my due date, I kept calling and they would tell me "it's hard to know how long the wait list will take."

So I started asking friends about where they sent their kids.  One of my coworkers told me she had sent her three kids to an in-home daycare and absolutely loved it.  I went to look at the place and to meet the women, Ana and Rosa.  I still wasn't sure.  The daycare was filled with lots of toys, highchairs, and cribs.  The women seemed very nice and the children were having fun. But was it the best fit for us?  I didn't know.

Shortly after Grace was born, I was really stressed about where she would go.  And then I got a call from Ana and Rosa telling me there was a spot open.  I asked Bruno to come meet them and see what he thought.  He liked them right away.  He said he could tell they would be very loving and it would be a great place for Grace.

And so Grace started there and spent 3 1/2 years.  There are people who made comments like "oh, I could never leave my children with perfect strangers all day.  Once I had kids, I just knew I had to stay home." Well, we could not have been more blessed to have shared our little Grace with them.  And when I found out I was pregnant with Abby, they were the first people I called.  Just to make sure we could have a spot for Abby to go there.

Last Friday was Abby's last day after 3 years.  I wrote them a nice card, gave them a gift, and took a great picture of the Abby and Grace with them.  We all sobbed.  I can't even put into words what these women have meant to me.  We trusted our most treasured loves, Grace and Abby, in their care.  Every single morning for the combined 6 years we saw them, they greeted us with welcoming smiles and hugs for the girls.  They never appeared to be tired and frustrated.  Can you imagine - with 9 kids every day not even appearing to be tired!? They played music, they spoke Spanish to the children, they played outside with them more than I ever would have.  And they loved them as if they were there own.

Every day, these women change countless diapers, feed hungry kids, put down 9 kids for a nap at the same time, apply endless applications of sunscreen and bug spray, and give so many hugs.  When Rosa's flight was delayed coming back from vacation last week, she told me she was so sad because it was two less days she would be able to spend with the four kids who were leaving this week to go to preschool.  How many people do you know who would be sad to have two extra days of vacation?!  Not many.

Ana and Rosa didn't ask you to put booties over your shoes - they encourage the kids to play in the dirt and explore the outdoors. And their place is certainly cleaner than my house!

Ana and Rosa didn't provide me a daily, written report. Instead, they spent the day taking care of the kids, teaching them about kindness, sharing and having fun. And somehow they always kept track of when Grace or Abby's last bottle of the day was.

Ana and Rosa didn't have a security system but my children couldn't have been in a safer, more loving environment.

I honestly could go on and on. But the bottom line is that our children were blessed to be in their care and we were blessed to be a part of their lives for the past 7 1/2 years.  Thank you to Ana and Rosa for opening up your home and your hearts to our girls!  We are eternally grateful!